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April 16, 2012

Blue jean baby, OK Falls lady

The town of Penticton, where we live now, is sandwiched rather quaintly - and permanently - between two lakes. On the north end is one of British Columbia's best known and most generously sized bodies of water, Okanagan Lake. On the south side, the much smaller Skaha Lake helps turn Penticton into a water locked town and adds to the good time appeal that sees tourists flock here by the thousands each summer like clockwork.

Along the perimeter of each of these lakes, one finds various small communities and towns. Okanagan Lake has places such as Naramata, Summerland, and Peachland (each a small village/town with roots and present ties alike to orchard based agriculture), whereas the tinier of the two lakes, Skaha, gets Kalenden on one of its sides and wraps up a few miles away with its shores in the wee little community of Okanagan Falls.

Known locally by one and all as OK Falls, this sandy spot actually began life with the unique name of "Dogtown", which came from fact that Skaha was the local First Nation's word for dog. As the years went on however, that title was swapped out in favour of Okanagan Falls, as two small waterfalls once comprised part of the local landscape.

Though it's pretty much one of those "blink and you'll miss it" kind of communities, OK Falls manages to cram several interesting attractions into one small parcel of land. From two popular vineyards to a terrific outdoor swap meet that runs from April to October, OK Falls is worth stopping in for if you're journeying through this part of the province.

Should you happen to have a sweet tooth or just need something scrumptiously refreshing to beat the summer heat, than a trip to the areas largest (and best known) ice cream shop, Tickleberry's, is definitely a must.

Comprised of an ice cream parlour, candy and fudge shop, and inviting array of collectibles and small home decor pieces (think wall plaques, teacups, figurines, etc), Tickleberry's has an inviting air that beckons one to wander all around its grounds, both inside and out. Especially if you're in the mood to spot some terrific vintage pieces that the shop has utilized as both decor and as functional storage for some of its wares.

As one pulls up to Tickleberry's they're greeted with a large, splendidly cute mural of bears enjoying an ice cream picnic on a sunny day, as well as a vintage bicycle and a mid-century washing machine that are on permanent display out front.

A few days ago the mister and I took a drive out to OK Falls and stopped by Tickleberry's. Naturally, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have Tony grab a few snaps of myself posing with these time worn vintage pieces - especially since I was in a polka dot, cherry, and denim 1940s ensemble that went well with both the teddy bear painting and the old school decor pieces.

Outfit photography by Antonio Cangiano, Tickleberry mural and sign images taken by me.

After our visit to Tickleberry's (which has been a local institution for 25 years now), we continued to explore OK Falls together. I'd been there scores of times as a youngster, and even Tony had visited a couple of times before, but this was our first trip there alone, just the two of us, and so I suggested we check in on two antique stores that I recalled exploring as a youngster.

Sadly, as with far too many small town businesses these days, one had long closed up shop, but thankfully the other was still going strong. Believe it or not, it had actually been a rather long time (years) since I last set foot in a proper antique shop, so I was more than a tad eager to explore what Jardin Estate Vintage Jewelry and Antiques had to offer these days.

Though not an especially large shop, the space had been well utilized and an abundance of treasures filled each shelf, cabinet, table, basket, and hook. Though I could easily have melted my credit card in such a store, I was a good girl and did no such thing.

That didn't mean, however, that I refrained from purchasing all together, and the lovely little handful of vintage items I bought there that afternoon are going to be the focus of a future blog post unto themselves (as it's not everyday I get to go antiquing).

With candy in hand for Tony from Tickleberry's and a few yesteryear pieces for me popped into the truck of the car, we bid farewell to OK Falls for the day and whisked out onto the highway that runs alongside Skaha Lake and back to Penticton.

Despite the nippy weather (you might not be able to tell it from the photos above, but it had been snowing that very morning and the temperature was only a couple of degrees above freezing when we got out of the car), we had a fantastic day and agreed that we'd definitely be returning to Okanagan Falls again from time-to-time to check in on our favourite shops and the friendly locals who run them.

It's a good job you didn't show any pictures from inside or I might have had to weep. Ice cream is a definite weakness of mine especially the homemade kind. I'm looking forward to seeing your purchases. :-)

I'm Jessica, a lifelong lover of all things antique and vintage, especially those from the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

This blog is my visual scrapbook in which I record and share my thoughts on the multitude of sources, people and products that inspire and feed a modern gal's addiction to the past. I also post about the vintage clothes, hairstyles and make-up looks that I adore wearing.

Stay a spell and have a blast as we explore the incomparably fantastic world of vintage history and fashion together.

All images used on this site are credited to their original posters/creators/sources,
however if at any time you would prefer not to see one of your images here, please email me and I'll take it down right away.

PS...I just wanted to say thank you very much for visiting and to tell you that you're equal parts awesome and beautiful.